Greenpeace Aotearoa is calling out the Luxon Government for "leaving the gate wide open" to more dairy conversion with no plan to protect fresh water from pollution.

Temporary rules that restricted the conversion of farmland to intensive dairy were in place until 1 January this year, to allow time for Regional Councils to implement the National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management. This was effectively a stop-gap to prevent further degradation of lakes, rivers and drinking water.

However, the Luxon Government repealed many of those intended protections last year, blocked Regional Councils from implementing their own freshwater plans, and allowed the dairy conversion restrictions to be lifted without replacing them. BussinessDesk has reported that Environment Canterbury has approved several dairy farm conversions this year.

Greenpeace spokesperson Will Appelbe says, "Everyone, no matter where they live, should be able to drink the water from their kitchen tap without getting sick. But this basic right is under threat by an already oversized intensive dairy industry that’s set to expand further."

"Assurances made by Government Ministers that there would be no further dairy expansion were clearly a load of cow manure."

"They were happy to delay freshwater plans for Regional Councils, and repeal the few freshwater protections we had, but did not extend the stop-gap on dairy conversions. Now that dairy conversions have started up again, we have to ask how many more communities have to have unsafe drinking water before intensive dairy is reigned in?"

Nearly half of New Zealand’s rivers are now unsafe for swimming, and 20% of the population could be drinking water contaminated with unsafe levels of nitrate. Emerging evidence shows that drinking water nitrate levels from 1mg/L are associated with a higher risk of some health conditions, including colo-rectal cancer. The largest contributor to nitrate contamination is cow urine and the overuse of synthetic nitrogen fertiliser in the intensive dairy industry.

At water testing events run by Greenpeace in the Ashburton District last month, almost half of all bore water samples tested were above 5 mg/L of nitrate, a level linked to an increased risk of preterm birth. Several Canterbury town supplies are close to or exceed this level, including Darfield, Hinds, and the Oxford Rural 1 supply. The New Zealand College of Midwives recommends that pregnant people consider avoiding water above 5 mg/L for nitrate.

"We’ve already seen what dairy expansion does - unswimmable rivers and water that’s unsafe to drink. It’s now up to Regional Councils to step up and protect drinking water, lakes and rivers. And if they’re unwilling, for candidates to step up at the Local Body Elections this year to get the job done."

"Environment Canterbury must halt any dairy conversion or intensification applications, at a bare minimum, and swiftly take action to protect the health of people and fresh water from dairy pollution."

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